Welcome Guest! The IOSH forums are a free resource to both members and non-members. Login or register to use them

Postings made by forum users are personal opinions. IOSH is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any of the information contained in forum postings. Please carefully consider any advice you receive.

Notification

Icon
Error

Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
jennielouises  
#1 Posted : 16 July 2020 19:07:36(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
jennielouises

I know the current guidelines say businesses should make working from home the first option and should consider who should be in the office. When this guidance came out we assessed our workers and found a handful that couldn’t really work at home due to technical issues etc so they are back in the office. I am there too to supervise. The guidance is still to work from home where possible but we have a number of workers who are beginning to really struggle working at home in terms of wellbeing but there doesn’t seem to be any guidance in what to do in that situation. Our head of HR talks about the magical 1st September and opening then but I know there are people who won’t be ok working from home till then. What have others done in terms of interpreting the guidance and with people who want to be in the office? How can we allow these people into the office and still maintain our legal duty of care? Isn’t it going against the guidance?
Roundtuit  
#2 Posted : 16 July 2020 19:41:27(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

1st September? Not heard that one.

Persons shielding in England will be free on 1st August under the latest edict by HM Gov.

So long as you follow the guidance on hygiene and distancing within the office nothing to stop people returning.

Guidance is exactly that - not mandate, not regulation i.e. NOT absolute.

Care to be that first employer sued for mental health issues insisting your employees MUST remain at home staring at the inside of the same four walls? Some people are happy home working and activley seek such employment MOST of society however are social animals so being locked in their own personal prison is not something they would choose as a career.

You have obviously missed the various news reports where Bojo is saying it is time we were back at work.

Roundtuit  
#3 Posted : 16 July 2020 19:41:27(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

1st September? Not heard that one.

Persons shielding in England will be free on 1st August under the latest edict by HM Gov.

So long as you follow the guidance on hygiene and distancing within the office nothing to stop people returning.

Guidance is exactly that - not mandate, not regulation i.e. NOT absolute.

Care to be that first employer sued for mental health issues insisting your employees MUST remain at home staring at the inside of the same four walls? Some people are happy home working and activley seek such employment MOST of society however are social animals so being locked in their own personal prison is not something they would choose as a career.

You have obviously missed the various news reports where Bojo is saying it is time we were back at work.

hopeful  
#4 Posted : 16 July 2020 19:52:26(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
hopeful

Apparantly there is an announcement tomorrow (Friday) removing the work from home if you can and public transport for essential travel only guidance. We have opened a couple of offices but as a charity the cost to make all our locations Covid safe is high, and sometime difficult and we could not get all our staff back anyway if we are adhering to social distancing. We have started to get some staff who are really struggling back to the office but we have a 4-6 week lead time to reopen offices for safety tests (L8 etc) and input measures for C19.

01 Sept is mentioned as schools should be going back then so staff will be able to return to normal possibly I think. We were working on that date.

thanks 1 user thanked hopeful for this useful post.
jennielouises on 16/07/2020(UTC)
jennielouises  
#5 Posted : 16 July 2020 19:54:00(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
jennielouises

I’ve not missed them at all. I am just looking for ways to prove to our head of HR that we should be letting people back. But today the news said Sir Patrick Vallance said BoJo is wrong!! There’s so much conflicting information.
jennielouises  
#6 Posted : 16 July 2020 19:58:00(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
jennielouises

Thank you Hopeful. Where did you hear about the announcement?
Roundtuit  
#7 Posted : 16 July 2020 20:21:09(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Sir Patrick is fortunately for society not the elected Prime Minister, nor a First Minister of the devolved assemblies - like many reading these forums he is merely an advisor - life would be impossible if medical "experts" had their way by example mass medication through flouridation of the water supply, mass vaccination, no sugar in food, mandatory daily excercise, no salt in food, no drinking, no smoking, masks everywhere, FP50 sun protection...

Sir Patrick as the ultimate H&S "bod" would then question his advice having duly wrapped society in cotton wool as to why they all died from heat stroke, asphyxiation and a surpresssed immune system.

As to schools - students will not need to socially distance but staff will? Staff will need to wear masks when working closely with students?

Roundtuit  
#8 Posted : 16 July 2020 20:21:09(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Sir Patrick is fortunately for society not the elected Prime Minister, nor a First Minister of the devolved assemblies - like many reading these forums he is merely an advisor - life would be impossible if medical "experts" had their way by example mass medication through flouridation of the water supply, mass vaccination, no sugar in food, mandatory daily excercise, no salt in food, no drinking, no smoking, masks everywhere, FP50 sun protection...

Sir Patrick as the ultimate H&S "bod" would then question his advice having duly wrapped society in cotton wool as to why they all died from heat stroke, asphyxiation and a surpresssed immune system.

As to schools - students will not need to socially distance but staff will? Staff will need to wear masks when working closely with students?

hopeful  
#9 Posted : 17 July 2020 07:11:08(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
hopeful

Originally Posted by: jennielouises Go to Quoted Post
Thank you Hopeful. Where did you hear about the announcement?

The BBC and this morning it is all over 5 Live. Although they are not sure what will be said as there is lots of conflicting information.

Bigmac1  
#10 Posted : 17 July 2020 17:07:56(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Bigmac1

You called it Hopeful

There you have it

Users browsing this topic
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.